The Calling for Being on Call 24/7 – How Do You Know if a Medical Degree is Best for You

No one, not even Dr. Patch Adams, will tell you that getting into medical school and consequently becoming a doctor is easy. In fact, most people would say that pursuing a medical degree is one of the toughest goals you can set for yourself. Choosing to get a medical degree isn't a joke because your job requires people to place their lives in your hands.

Steps Before and After a Medical Degree
People aspiring to become a doctor will first have to take a pre-med course which can be any science degree. Upon graduation, you will then have to spend four years at medical school. Afterwards, you will then be required to spend an additional three to six years of residency in a specified hospital. The length of your residency will depend on which area of medicine you wish to excel.

Characteristics that Will Help You Cope with the Demands of a Medical Degree
If you have the following characteristics, you’ll have better chances than the smartest student in your class in graduating with a medical degree.

First you need to have a genuine interest in learning. The quest for knowledge should be your passion. Discoveries are the backbone of science, and if you don’t have a thirst for knowledge, you’ll never succeed in pursuing a medical degree, much less become a good doctor.

Second you need to be reasonably intelligent and with a particular inclination for medicinal knowledge. Reality and not discrimination is the one stopping students who aren't academically inclined from pursuing a medical degree. Healing the various diseases in the world requires you to have an innate understanding of the complexities of the human body, and you can’t expect this from a person who can’t and isn’t willing to study continuously.

Third you need to be mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and psychologically prepared for the real-life horrors that a medical degree will expose you to. If you can’t handle seeing a patient die even with your best efforts then you definitely have a problem.

Lastly, pursuing a medical degree must also be founded in a deep-seated desire to help or heal others. This is what’s going to help you overcome the various challenges thrown your way. Even if your brain is telling you that what you’re aiming for is impossible, your heart will be urging you to move on, and in many cases in the real world, that’s how doctors perform what seems to be miracles in the emergency room.